All Butter Pie Crust

This rich and flavorful pie crust is light and airy and as flaky as your favorite pastry! It pairs well with just about any type of filling you want to use, but my favorite use for it is with fruit pies! Use COLD butter for a light and flaky pie crust!

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Prep Time: 2 30

Cook Time: 35

Total Time: 3 5

Servings: servings (2 pie crusts)

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

2 cups all purpose flour
1 Tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter 16 Tablespoons, cubed and chilled
1 ½ teaspoon vinegar
½ cup ice cold water
egg wash for finishing

Instructions

Start by mixing the vinegar and water together and put it in the freezer to chill. Cube the butter, place in a small bowl and put in the freezer to chill as well. Chill the vinegar water and butter for about 10 minutes while you prepare the rest of your ingredients.
Measure the flour, sugar and salt and incorporate together in a large bowl.
Remove the chilled butter and toss it in the flour mixture. Flatten each cube between your fingers and toss it in the flour mixture. Continue to massage and roll the butter between your fingers until it’s a coarse mixture with pea-sized to almond-sized pieces throughout.
Add 3 Tablespoons of the vinegar water to the flour mixture and toss with hands.
Continue to add just enough water until dough is almost entirely hydrated. It should be in several larger size pieces, with a bit of loose flour in the bottom of the bowl. You may not need to use all of the water. When you pinch the dough, it should hold its shape.
Turn the mixture out onto a work surface and pinch the dough together with your hands, gathering any loose bits of flour and pressing it into the dough. If the dough isn't coming together and is too dry, wet your hands with the ice water and work it into the dough to hydrate it a bit more. A well-mixed pie dough should show pieces of butter throughout, be soft without being too sticky, and should be pliable and cohesive. Work quickly and avoid over mixing!
Divide dough into two equal pieces. Round and flatten each into a disc shape. Wrap each with plastic wrap and chill for at least two hours before rolling out.
When rolling out, flour surface and roll out slightly, rolling from the center outwards. Turn dough a quarter turn and roll out a little bit more. Continue turning and rolling until dough is rolled out into a 12-inch circle, or at least 2 inches larger than the size of your pie pan.
Place in pie dish and trim off any extra dough around the edges with scissors, leaving about a 1/2-inch overhang for shaping the edges. For easy dough transfer to your pan, fold dough in half and then fold in half again. Place the folded dough with the pointy corner in the center of the pie pan and unfold. Center in pie pan. Gently fit the dough into the bottom and sides of the pie pan, making sure there is no empty space between the pie pan and the dough. Do not stretch your dough to fit the pan (if it’s not large enough, remove your dough and roll out a bit larger).
Return the pie crust to the refrigerator to chill until you are ready to fill and bake it.
Brush the crust with an egg wash.
Bake as directed for your pie recipe. *See notes for blind bake instructions.

Notes

If you are blind baking the pie crust, “dock” your pie by piercing the bottom and sides with a fork. This will release steam as the pie crust bakes, preventing air pockets from developing. Place a piece of parchment over the center of the pie crust and fill with your preferred type of pie weights (ceramic pie weights, dried beans or lentils, or rice). Fill the entire crust up to the pan level. Bake in a preheated 375°F oven for 20 minutes. Remove the crust from the oven. Lift the parchment and weights out of the pie and set aside. Brush the pie crust, including the edges with egg wash. Return to the oven for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until lightly golden. *If the edges of the crust are browning too quickly, place a pie shield around the crust for the remainder of the bake. Once removed, allow to cool completely before filling.
Make sure your pie and/or crust is cold when putting it in the oven to bake. The butter in the crust needs to be cold to create light and flaky layers in the baked pie. A good rule of thumb is to keep your pie in the refrigerator right up until it's time to put it in the oven.
This recipe can be prepared with a food processor. Avoid over mixing.
Store pie dough in the refrigerator for 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Nutrition